Original Coverage & Source Attribution: cbs2iowa.com
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Families dealing with a loved one’s mental health or substance use concerns will be the focus of a free public forum next weekend in Cedar Rapids.
NAMI Linn County will host “Families on the Frontline: Navigating the Road to Recovery” from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, at the downtown Cedar Rapids Public Library.
The event will feature three panel discussions on barriers families face when seeking help, current programs and interventions, and possible solutions. A Community Resource and Recovery Fair will also connect attendees with local organizations and support programs.
The first panel will feature family members discussing their experiences navigating treatment, addiction, recovery, justice and reentry systems. A second panel will bring together people with experience in substance use treatment, diversion, disability services, crisis alternatives and local government services.
Leslie Carpenter of Iowa City, legislative advocacy manager for the Treatment Advocacy Center, is expected to discuss Assisted Outpatient Treatment, a civil court-ordered process that can require adults with serious mental illness to participate in community-based care.
The final panel will focus on collaboration, including a new partnership between NAMI Linn County and the Crush of Iowa Recovery Community Center.
A youth and young adult session begins at 10 a.m., ahead of the main forum. It will highlight NAMI Linn County programs including CHANGE Makers and NAMI on Campus.
Organizers said the forum grew out of concerns raised by families in NAMI Linn County’s Family Support Group and the organization’s new partnership with Crush.
